Beginning of the Year Math

When I think about first grade math, I think about addition and subtraction.  I think about the stage of each learner: concrete, representational, or abstract.  I think about strategies. I think about fluency.

I started out using our math series and quickly put it back.  I found out that I should also be thinking about depth and breadth.  It made me think about starting off  in a different way.  Here's what I'm doing now to encourage math fluency, strategies, and depth and breadth:

1. Number Talks- math fluency, strategies

This is a short time, in which you show a problem quickly and the students mentally solve.  I ask, "What did you see?  How did you see it?"  This gets the students doing mental math! and it has them explaining their thinking, which directly ties to strategies.  Read more about Number Talks here:  Number Talks Build Numerical Reasoning

2. Open-ended Math Problems- math fluency, strategies and depth and breadth

Immediately I saw that my students do not know how to read and reason with math word problems.  This is one of our most important math standards.  It helps students with reasoning and knowing what to do is essential.  I knew I needed to teach my students to use the reading & math strategies they already have to understand how to plan, solve and check tricky word problems.

OH.MY.WORD using open-ended questions has been the BEST formative assessment I could have ever used.  What strategies do they have?  Are they in concrete, representational, or abstract phase?  Do they have math fact fluency?  Do they understand how to read a problem?  It has opened my eyes in a new way.  I feel like I'm starting off the year really understanding each child's mathematical abilities.  

I have some problems for you here:  OpenEndedMath.  Pages 1-4 have differentiated addition problems on the top and bottom.  Pages 5-8 have differentiated subtraction problems on two separate pages.  

After I created a few problems, I went on TPT and bought Emmy Mac Shop's A Year of Monthly Open Ended Problems.  This is a bundle but you can also buy it separately.  I am very impressed with the quality and am glad I splurged on the bundle!

3. Math Running Records- math strategies, fluency 

I saw and then quickly bought The Classroom Key's Math Running Records, Addition and Subtraction.  I have always loved starting the year by listening to the readers in my room and conducting a running record.  So when I saw this fabulous idea, I knew I wanted to try it.  And it is AH.MAZ.ING!!  It really helps you grasp what your student gets and what they need help on.  I also loved that I could see how long it took each child to solve the problems.  Now that I have finished (just today), I am ready to use the data to help create groups.  This tells you WAY MORE than a math series beginning of the year test...and it helps you get started right away!

I hope you find these tips helpful!  I feel that I finally understand the mathematicians in my class.  I know that our math time will be more meaningful and focused.

Have a lovely night,

Jen

A Slightly Different Take

When planning for this math unit, I knew I wanted the students to use their work to goal set.  We've done this all year but I was looking for a little more impact.

The students' interactive math journals have become a bit disorganized (this is an understatement) for some and I didn't feel that they were able to see the progression of their abilities. That's when the unit interactive math journal came in.  What better way to see your progress than having it clumped together?

It's all the about the needs of the kids BUT this helps me too!  Since they aren't as bulky I can have them turn them in daily and I can give immediate feedback.  When progress reports or report cards roll around I have a great, progressive way to show parents their child's mathematical understandings.  And I can also help the students track their data and goal set...not just using one assignment but using all their work from the unit.

Here is the simple journal made mostly from all that notebook paper that you never use by the end of the year.  

On the inside cover my students have addition and subtraction poems and the rubric for the WHOLE unit.  These are in my TPT unit Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction With Regrouping

Here is a journal prompt with the students work and their (immediate feedback) score from the rubric.

Just for reference, we work on these mats A LOT before we delve into our journals each day.

And everyday we refer back to the unit's rubric to push our thinking and goal set.

My students commented today that I am like Danny Tanner from Full House because I like everything SO organized.  I think it was a compliment.  Either way I know that they see the journals as uber organized, which pleases me because they will need it all throughout their lives!

So if your journals are disasters like mine or you don't have enough notebooks for your students, I highly recommend my easy-peasy way!!

Dogs are barking...time to go.

Have a great night!

It Must Be...

...time to go back to school.  The planning has begun and out of it it came this TPT Pack for Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping.

Check it out!

Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction With Regrouping

Included in the pack:
-Rubric for the unit
-An end of unit assessment
-Addition & Subtraction Work Mat
-Addition & Subtraction Posters
-10 Journal Prompts
-10 Interactive Notebook Activities
-4 Math Centers

Regrouping!

If you follow my blog you may know that I have been going through a major transition called Second Grade Math!  Regrouping has been on my mind.

Here are our recent anchor charts:

We started using tens and ones manipulatives....well Popsicle sticks and kidney beans to practice simple regrouping.  Then we moved on to regrouping with subtraction.  Finally the students are representing problems by drawing tens and ones.

I made a pack of materials to use in class that includes whole group activities, journal prompts, interactive journal activities and centers.  

Check it out on TPT: Two-Digit Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping

Have a magical night!

Jen

Real Life Math

When creating lesson plans for our Math Workshop I like to make it as relevant as possible.  Current events, commercials, sports and short clips help stimulate the students into thinking mathematically.

Here are a couple of suggestions to consider:

Scores on ESPN

Toy Ads from favorite stores like Target

Short clips from YouTube

Tracking Santa at Norad Tracks Santa

Pricing on the back of books

Pictures of things that are important to you and/or them

Objects in your classroom

Pictures of cool objects

Letting students know that the things they are learning in school really do apply to their real world is so important.  Math is about thinking and there are opportunities everywhere!

Merry Math

I last posted about my struggle with two-digit addition with regrouping and have had some time to think about possible solutions.

My personal go-to is reading.  I read current and relevant texts when I'm unsure of what to do next.



One of my favorite books for meeting with mathematicians in small groups is Math Exchanges by Kassia Omohundro Wedekind.  On her blog Math Exchanges, she wrote,
In my book I talk a lot about how math exchanges must be both contextually meaningful and mathematically significant. Many times “contextually meaningful” means relevant or useful to the life of the mathematician solving the problem. 
This got me thinking about giving students situations that were relevant to them.  And after Thanksgiving what else is there but TOYS?!



In the text, Learning to Love Math by Judy Willis, she shared her theory about learning from video games.  She wrote,
Video games are an example of the lure of achievable challenge because they help students reach personally desirable goals...These goals can be translated into mathematics as long as we use the model of achievable challenge (through differentiation and individualization) and connect our teaching goals with students' personal goals and interest.
This challenges me as an educator.  I have to find the achievable challenge for each student knowing that they will all be different.  For my whole group lessons, I determined that I would use the Gradual Release of Responsibility by amping up the problems each time.



Maggie Siena wrote, in her book From Reading to Math,
There is no one best way to teach math.
Confidence is paramount.
Professional development is important for teaching all students.
Everyone has the potential to understand math.
What I really honed in on in my personal quest was the idea that the student had to have confidence. Again this leads me to the GRR and teaching with Concrete, Representational and Abstract sequence.  I need to give the students in my class every opportunity to feel successful and to do this I need to create building blocks that they can stack and depend on to support them.


Here leads to my freebie!  I wanted to create materials to use the first week back that incorporated all these great things I've learned about math instruction.

Click on the link or pictures to pick up yours :)

SANTA'S TOYS: Two-Digit Addition with Regrouping

I hope you enjoy this week and give thanks for all that you have because life is precious!!

Mathematicians at Work

I wanted a time during the day that the students could engage in mathematical activities that would support our previous learning in class.  Throughout the years I have tried many types of math stations/centers/rotations and many have worked very well.  This year I wanted to form partnerships in which mathematical understandings and discussions could take place at a deeper level. In the past, I think students thought they were just playing games rather than applying the strategies and understandings they have gained during our lessons. When students are grouped in twos, I feel that it is easier for both voices to be heard.  At the beginning of the year I had 22 students and wanting groupings of 2, that left me with 11 different activities.  I also knew that I wanted to give this time a title that was a reflection of what they really were doing.  So rather than centers or stations we called it Mathematicians at Work.

Mathematicians at Work

I am blessed to have a lot of time for mathematics...a full 75 minutes!  If our time was allotted differently I would tighten everything much more (see alternate schedule below).

Our schedule:

10 minutes - Number Talks

10-15 minutes -  Mini-lesson

20 minutes - Guided/Independent Practice

20-30 minutes - Mathematicians at Work (Small groups/Conferring)

5-10 minutes - Share

Alternate schedule:

5 minutes - Number Talks

10 minutes -  Mini-lesson

15 minutes - Guided/Independent Practice

20-25 minutes - Mathematicians at Work (Small groups/Conferring)

5 minutes - Share 

Here is what I have included in our Mathematicians at Work during our place value unit:

Click on the link to pick up all of these here: MathematiciansatWorkActivities

For this activity you will need numbers written on small bits of paper and crumbled up.

Secret Code

The materials needed for Monster Math are a small box, a spinner and 10 bottle caps.  Write numbers 0-9 on the bottle caps and place in small box.  Write 10 more, 10 less, 100 more, 100 less on spinner and you are ready!

I quickly made targets three targets, one for hundreds, another for tens and the last for ones.  I printed on different colored paper and  bought googly eyes.

 This activity is based off Bozo's Grand Prize Game. You will need small buckets (or any container), some post-its to label and ping-pong balls.  Write numbers on the ping-pong balls.

This activity was part of a freebie from last year.  Click on the link to pick it up:  Adding and Subtracting with Place Value

This is a great activity that gives me a lot of information about each learner.  They take turns being the teacher.  I get to hear their mathematical talk, hear how they formulate questions, watch them coach students, see their accuracy with problem solving and hear all about strategies.  The students LOVE this activity!

Get a deck of cards or two.  Write numbers on the jacks, queens, kings, aces, etc. and it is all set.  On this particular day, one student was absent so their partner joined in to play War.

You will need two cookie sheets, two tops and print out a grid of numbers on two papers.

You can tell that Mathematicians at Work have simplistic activities but the students really do get to apply their understanding of the concept.  Everyday we change to a new activity.  Once we finish a rotation we do it one more time.  So it last for 22 days...which is super nice for planning and preparing.

The other great thing about Mathematicians at Work is that I get time EVERY SINGLE DAY to meet with small groups or confer with my students.  I am very clear about where they are in math because I have the time to listen and understand.  For more about my small groups: Math: Guide Groups, Games and Resources.